Sweden hands Dickson Etuhu five-year ban over match-fixing scandal

The Sweden football association has handed former Super Eagles midfielder Dickson Etuhu a five-year ban from all football activities in the country following his involvement in a match-fixing scandal.

The 37-year-old was accused of offering a bribe to his former AIK Stockholm team-mate and reserve goalkeeper Kenny Stamatopoulos to fix a game against Gothenburg in May 2017.

Stamatopoulos was understood to have been offered around £180,000 to under-perform after an injury to the club’s No1 and flagged the approach, meaning the match was postponed.

Etuhu denied involvement but after a lengthy investigation, he was found guilty in November 2019.

And the Swedish FA came down hard by slapping him with the five-year ban but he avoided a prison sentence.

Ex-striker Alban Jusufi, who retired in 2013, has also been banned.

Read Also: Dickson Etuhu faces 6years in prison for alleged match-fixing

A statement from the Swedish FA read: “The Disciplinary Board has decided to suspend two people because they have deliberately tried to persuade a football player to underperform in one of the team’s matches.

“Through their actions, these people have violated the anti-match fixing regulations, and they are therefore suspended for five years.

“The ban includes training, competing or performing any assignments in any sports.”

Etuhu started his career at Maine Road but left for Preston in 2002 after making just 13 first-team appearances.

It was at Deepdale that the Nigerian made a name for himself in England before further spells at Norwich, Sunderland, Fulham.

He helped Fulham to the final of the Europa League in 2010 where they lost 2-1 to Atletico Madrid.

He made the switch to Sweden to spend the 2015 and 2016 seasons at AIK before becoming an agent.

Etuhu played 20 times for the Super Eagles including twice at the Africa Cup of Nations in 2008 and 2010 as well as the World Cup in South Africa.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now